Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-02-10

one OF TWO newspapers, WHICH dl III 81 olIeieu
entertaining prospects to the waiting client,
but always proved to be law record or
supreme court decision. There was the bust
of late distinguished jurist, which appar-
emily had never been busted since he himself
became dust, and had already grown per
ceptibly dusty mustache on his severely judi
cial upper lip. 1t was cheerless place in the
sunshine of day; at night, when it ought by
every suggestion of its dusty past to have
been left to the vengeful ghosts, the greater
part of whose hopes and passions were re-
corded and gathered there; when in the dark
the dead hands of forgotten men were
stretched from their dusty graves to tumble
once more for their old title deeds; at night,
when it was Lit up by fiaring gaslight, the
hollow mockery of this dissipation was so ap-
parent that people in the streets, looking
through the Illuminated windows, felt as if
the privacy of a family vault had been in-
truded upon by body-snatchers.
Royal Thatcher glanced around the room,
took in all its dreary suggestions in a half
weary, half Indifferent sort of way, and
dropped into the lawyers own revolving
chair as that gentleman entered from the ad
jacent room.
"Well you got back soon, l see," said Har-
lowe briskly
eyes," said his client, without looking up,
and with this notable distinction between
himself and all other previous clients, that he
seemed absolutely less interested than the
lawyer. "Yes, I'm here; and, upon my soul,
1 don't exactly know why"
"You told me of certain papers you had
discovered" said the lawyer suggestively.
"Oh, yes" returned Thatcher with slight
yawn "rve got here some papers some
where"-he began to feel in his coat pocket
languidly-"but, by the way, this is a rather
dreary and God-forsaken sort of placel Let's
go up to Welckers, and you can look at them
over bottle of champagne"
"After I've looked at them, I've something
to show you, myself" said Harlowe; sand as
for the champagne, we'll have that in the
other room, by and by. At present l want
to have my head clear, and yours too-if
you'll oblige me by becoming sufficiently in
terested in your own affairs to talk to me
about them"
Thatcher was gazing abstractedly at the
fire He started. Il dare say" he began,
I'm not very interesting; yet it's possible
that my affairs have taken up little too
much of my time. However," he stopped,
took from his pocket an envelope, and threw
it on the desk-"there are some papers.
don't know what value they may be; that is
Il T 1n,,it hot
any legal right to their possession-that is
for you to say, too They came to me in
queer way. On the overland journey here l
lost my bag, containing my few traps and
some letters and papers of no value as the
advertisements say, to any but the owner
Well, the bag was lost, but the stage driver
declares that it was stolen by fellow pas
senger-a man by the name of Giles, or Stiles,
or Biles-"
"Wiles," said Harlowe earnestly.
"Yes," continued Thatcher, suppressing a
yawn; ayes, l guess you're right-Wiles.
Well, the stage driver, finally believing this,
goes to work and quietly and unostentatiously
steals-I say, have you got a cigar!"
"I'll get you one."
Harlowe disappeared in the adjoining room.
Thatcher dragged Harlowe's heavy, revolving
desk chair, which never before had been re-
moved from its sacred position, to the fire,
and began to poke the Goals abstractedly.
Harlowe reappeared with cigars and
matches. Thatcher lit one mechanically, and
said, between the puffs:
"Do you-ever-tali-to yourself!"
"No!-why!"
Il thought heard your voice just now in
the other room. Anyhow, this is an awful
spoolly place. If l stayed here alone half
an hour, I'd fancy that the lord chancellor
up there would step down in his robes, out of
his frame, to keep me company"
Nonsense, When I'm busy often sit here
and write until after midnight. It's SO quiet"
"D-mnably SOL"
"Well, to go buck to the papers. Some
body stole your bag, or you lost it. You
stole -n
'.The driver stole" suggested Thatcher, SO
languidly that it could hardly be called an in
terruption.
"Well, we'll say the driver stole, and passed
over to you as his accomplice, confederate or
receiver, certain papers belonging -"
"See here, Harlowe, don't feel like joking
in a ghostly law office after midnight. Here
are your facts. Yuba Bill, the driver, stole
bag from this passenger, Wiles, or Smiles,
and handed it to me to insure the return of
my own. found in it some papers concern
ing my case. There they are. Do with them
what you like"
Thatcher turned his eyes again abstractedly
to the fire.
Harlowe took out the first paper.
Jaw, this seems to be a telegram. Yes,
eh? Come to Washington at once. Carmen
de Haro.'n
Thatcher started, blushed like girl, and
hurriedly reached for the paper
"Nonsense. That's mistake. A dispatch
mislaid in the envelope"
81 see," said the lawyer dryly.
II thought l had torn it up" continued
Thatcher after an awkward pause. regret
to say that here that usually truthful man
elaborated a fiction. He had consulted it
dozen times a day on the journey, and it was
quite worn in its enfoldings. Harlowes quick
eye had noticed this, but he speedily became
interested and absorbed in the other papers.
Thatcher lapsed into contemplation of the fire.
"Wen,n said Harlowe, finally turning to his
client, 'here's enough to unseat Gashwiler, or
close his mouth. As to the rest, it's good
reading-but l needn't tell you-no legal evil
dence. But it's proof enough to stop them
from ever trying it again-when the exist
ence of this record is made known. Bribery is
a hard thing to fix ON man; the only witness
is naturally particeps criminis;-but it would